“I’m asking you.”

“Definitely a good thing.”

He smiled. “What are we eating today? Cafe Rio again?”

“Of course.”

“I should have just ordered for you. Before this is over I’m going to expand your culinary horizons. Save our place and I’ll be right back. Sweet pork salad, pinto beans, house dressing.”

“And a diet lemonade.”

“Of course.”

Not wanting to get food on my scarf, I folded it up and stowed it in my purse. Nicholas returned a few minutes later carrying a tray. “One salad with lots of sugar, and a lemonade sans sugar.”

“Thank you.”

He sat down.

“What did you get?” I asked, examining his meal.

“I thought I’d try the chiles rellenos with some of this rice.” He took a bite, then asked, “Who is this Zoey person?”

“She’s just someone I work with.” A peculiar feeling swept through me. I didn’t want him to know who Zoey was. I didn’t want him to meet her. I didn’t want her to take him. “She’s, like, beautiful.”

“Like you,” he said.

“No, she’s really beautiful.”

His expression immediately changed. He almost looked angry. “As opposed to what?”

“As opposed to me.”

He leaned back for a moment, then said, “How long have you been this way?”

“What way?”

“Self-deprecating.”

Suddenly, to my surprise, tears began to well up in my eyes. I didn’t answer. I was too embarrassed.

He didn’t back off. “What makes you think you’re not beautiful?”

“I’m not blind,” I said. “I can look in a mirror.”

“You have a flawed mirror,” he replied. His voice softened. “Elise, anyone can open a book. Not everyone can appreciate the beauty of the writing. I want you to stop berating yourself.”

“It’s just . . .” I wiped my eyes with a napkin. “Around my office I’m not the one who gets the flowers.”

“Funny,” he said. “I could have sworn you told me that you just got some.”

What was this man doing to me? “Can we just eat?”

“I want to add something to our contract. For the length of our agreement you will believe that you are beautiful.”

“You can’t just change a belief.”

“People do it all the time,” he said. “Besides, it’s contractual. You don’t have a choice. You’d be amazed at what people accomplish under contract.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Then at least believe that I believe you’re beautiful.”

I sat there fighting back tears. “Can we please change the subject?”

“Will you agree to do this one thing for me?”

Finally I nodded.

“All right. Now we can eat.”